Friday

Good morning.
Yesterday was such a nice day.  The sun shone, the breezes blew and it got nice and warm but not too hot.
I had a bit of a potter before going into the garden and now it's all a lot better, front and back.  It wasn't dreadful before, just a bit frayed around the edges.
I had a nice chat with my friend over the cul de sac and handed over half a cucumber and a bag of tomatoes.  I love sharing my stuff.
After lunch I set out on a country walk and came back with a few blackberries (they've not really got going yet) and some damsons.  Lovely!  I picked some but left loads for the next person and next year I will remember.  I also spotted some sloes but they're not ready to pick, and there were some magnificent mushrooms but I don't know enough about mushrooms to do anything but leave them where they are.

Damsons are quite tart but they make wonderful liqueur and I expect that's what I will use them for but for now they've all gone into the freezer.   This is the recipe I will use.
 I'm making some fruit vinegar with the blackberries as there are so few so they are steeping in cider vinegar for a few days.

Later on I went off to SW group and was very pleased with a pound off, especially as I was away at the weekend.

I've just surveyed the estate (!) and there are tomatoes, a cucumber, raspberries, blueberries and chillies to pick but they can wait until later.  No runner beans; I picked them last night to take to SW for the Slimmer of the Week basket.  I knew it wouldn't be me so that was OK!  I took half a cucumber too.  The cucumber plants show no sign of giving up yet - there's another that really needs picking and a number on the way.  It's the first year I have grown cucumbers but it won't be the last.

I was going to take the bus into town to look round the High Street market which is rather more 'artisan' than the covered market but I'm a bit slow to get going today so I will do it tomorrow instead.  It's only there Fridays and Saturdays but I can get the bus in earlier at the weekend.  On weekdays, the bus pass only starts after nine.  I might make a treat of it and have a breakfast coffee on one of the pavement cafe thingies that have sprung up.  Extravagant, I know, but my teacher's pension went in today so maybe, for a treat . . .
So that's what I'm NOT doing today!

Today, it will be the same old.  Tidy up for the cleaners and I didn't sort out the strawberries yesterday so maybe that will be a job for today, while it's so nice and warm.
But first, I'd better get washed and dressed.
Have a great day.  xx